This is the first time I have sailed anything and I'm trying to catch up on the lingo. I just had to google, "main sheet". I googled some more and it's the rope used to "reef" the sail that is my problem. It seems like the one that came with my TI is about 5 ft too short to control effectively from the rear so I want to replace it. I will check out the New England sta set. Thanks!

Firstly, send out just about all the mainsheet through the front cleat, so the end knot is almost in it. This will give you heaps more mainsheet at the back seat. Take this new extra long mainsheet end, and tie a figure eight knot (google is your friend LOL) to the reefing line end. You will then have a loop at your hand, pulling one way will pull the sail tighter, and pulling the other way will reef(furl) the sail around the mast.

I don't usually see a figure 8 knot suggested for tying 2 ropes together (and neither does Google ). Are you sure you mean that knot, Tony? I tie mine by keeping a short loop tied in the main sheet with a bowline, and tying the reefing line into this with a sheet bend, sometimes with an additional half hitch for security.

A figure eight knot is fine in this application, as there is no load on it. It simply "parks" the end of the furling line ahead of a simple knot on the end of the mainsheet for convenience. Mind you, I use it in the front seat of my TI, and on reflection, it would probably be better to follow your suggestion if sailing from the back seat, where the joint is necessary so both mainsheet and furling lines are accessible. (In this case the join takes a load until the sail is partly furled and you have reached the furling line in your hands)

The bowlines, which are always in both the fore and aft mainsheet ends, also keeps them from running out through their cleats and their fairleads (the arch on top of the cleat, where the rope runs when not going through the cleat, surf hunter). I can sheet bend tie the reefing line to whichever sheet end is currently in use, and run the sheet almost all the way out the other location, (I usually sail from the aft seat; I keep about 6" of sheet cleated and hanging out in the fore position, so that I can slack tension on the sheet when the aft is cleated and I want to, say, unhook the mainsheet clew hook (the one where the block, er pulley, attaches to clew, er rearmost end, of the sail, surf).

As the only time I would ever need to take the mainsheet line back through the cleat is when replacing it, I was happy to leave the end secured with a simple knot prepared by my dealer. This has gone extremely tight, which is fine by me, as at replacement timde, cutting off the knot is logical. Having bowlines on both ends of the mainsheet must consume a lot of line compzred to simple knots. Do you still have ample to connect to the furling line from the rear seat?

Tom is right on. I sail from the back or out on the Haka’s, so I have the back seat main sheet tight to the block and use the front cam cleat and use this Sheet-bend knot to tie the reefing line to the main sheet. It has worked well for me for 3 years and is easy to untie when done for the day.

The bowlines at either end of my main sheet are small loops, I expect that total shortening of the rope is on the order of 6 inches, or maybe only 10 centimeters. In any case, there is more than enough to have my 30 cm or 6 inches (have you noticed I play fast and loose with metric conversions?) hanging out the front cleat, have the rear sheet reach up to the furling line, and enough more that I hank it up and stuff it in the pocket when wheeling the boat so it doesn't dangle down the drive well and get into mischief. The front dangly is handy for getting a bit of slack on the line if I am working in the front and the back is cleated, and makes it easier for a front seat passenger to reach if I hand over the helm. The bowline there means the furling line can be attached there if the boat is sailed solo from the front (say I want to be able hike out on the hakas--the inability to do so from the rear is one of the annoyances of the TI).